The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) last night declared yesterday’s hike in fuel price from about N86/litre to about N145/litre by the Muhammadu Buhari administration “unilateral”, saying that it “represents the height of insensitivity and impunity and shall be resisted by the Nigeria Labour Congress and its civil society allies.”

A statement signed by NLC General Secretary, Dr Peter Ozo-Eson, and issued in Abuja hinted that a crippling strike is imminent if government fails to revert to the old fuel prices. It vowed to “resist this criminal increase with every means legitimate”, requesting its “affiliates, state councils and civil society allies are requested to commence mobilisation immediately.”

NLC said in the statement: “With the imposition on the citizenry of criminal and unjustifiable electricity tariff and resultant darkness and other economic challenges brought on by the devaluation of the Naira and spiraling inflation, the least one had expected at this point in time was another policy measure that would further make life more miserable for the ordinary Nigerian.

“The latest increase is the most audacious and cruel in the history of product price increase as It represents not only about 80 per cent increase but it is tied to the black market exchange rate.

“Furthermore, the process through which government arrived at this is both illogical and illegal as the board of the PPPRA is not duly constituted. In our previous statements and communiques, we had stressed the need for reconstituting the boards of NNPC and PPPRA and wean both away from the overbearing influence of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources who has assumed the role of a Sole Administrator.

“The allusion to the fact that the this increase was arrived at after due consultation with stake holders is not only ridiculous and fallacious, it goes to show that the brief meeting held today during which government was advised to shelve the idea until at least it meets with the appropriate organs of the Congress was in bad faith.

“Accordingly, we urge the government to revert the prices to what they were. We would want to put everybody on notice that we shall resist this criminal increase with every means legitimate.

“Already an emergency NEC meeting has been scheduled for Friday, May 13, 2016 to decide on the next line of action. Meanwhile, our affiliates, state councils and civil society allies are requested to commence mobilisation immediately.”

•Photo shows NLC President Ayuba Wabba.